Handle grip



Oct. 9, 1928. 1,687,170

G. W. MATTERN HANDLE GR I P Filed Nov. 24, 1925 UNITED STATES PA ENT OFFICE.

GEORGE w. MATTERN, or DAYTON, OHIO, essrenoa TO THE oaAwFonn-McGREGon AND canny coMr nY, on DAYTON, care, A coaroaarron or OHIO.

HANDLE GRIP.

Application filed November 24, 1925. Serial No. 71,099.

club shaft. The diameter of the handle or grip portion of the shaft is usually of greater diameter than the main portion of the shaft below the handle grip. It is also customary to provide an initial or underlying wrapping of padding material or listing beneath the leather cover. Such method of applying the cover or sheath to thehandle grip, makes the handle portion more or less bulky and the overlying wrappings do not merge evenly and umformly into the contour of the shaft,

but are inclined toform an objectionable off-. set or abrupt enlargement at theextremity of such handle grip portion. Attempts have been made to overcome the difficulty by skiving or paring the leather wrapping or cover adjacent the end of the handle grip to reduce its thickness and thus minimize the offset or enlargement formed by the application of the leather cover; This method, however, wealv ens the leather and causes 1t to break or loose from the shaft. Thepresent invention enables the leather cover or sheath to be applied to the handle shaft of a golf club. a polo mallet or other game clubs and the like, in such manner as to conform to and merge smoothly and uniformly into the contour of the uncovered portion of the shaft, while strength of the material.

maintaining the natural thickness By the present method .of application of the handle grip cover or sheath. the objectionable enlargement or bulge at the end of the handle grip Wrapping is entirely eliminated. As a result the shaft and handle grip are not only improved in appearance and given a uniform uninterrupted symmetrical outline, but therewill be no unevenness, abrupt'change in size or diameter, or other obstruction to. the desired positioning of the players hand. Thus a player may grasp the handle shaft at the juncture of the covered and uncovered portions of the shaft with as much ease, comfort and firmness as at any other point.

an d F \Vith the above primary and other incidental ob ect-s in'view as willmore fully appear inthe specification, the invention consists in the features of construction, the parts and combinations thereof and the mode of operation or their equivalents as hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, wherein is s'hown'the preferred, but obviously not necessarily the only form of, embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a golf club to which the present improved form of handle grip has been applied. Fig. 2 is an enlarged deta l vlew of a portion of golf club shaft, showing the handle grip wrapping or cover partially removed to better disclose the details of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is'an enlargedsectional view ofa portion of a golf club sliaftfwith the improved handle grip cover or sheathapplied thereto. Like parts are indicatedby similar char acters of reference throughout the several views; Y I

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the handle shaft. of which 21s the hand grip portion.

Such golf club handle shafts, polo mallet shafts or the like, are usually formed from hickory wood, but are sometimes of metallic tubular construction. The handle grip portion 2 of the shaft of standard dimensionand form is of somewhat greater diameter than the main portion of the shaft l-below such handle grip extension. In carrying out the present invention, there is formed in the ,handle grip at the lower extremity of the grip portion 2., an abrupt offset or peripheral shoulder 3, the depth of which offset or shoulder substantially equal to the thickness of the leather or other cover material forming the sheath of the handle grip. The enlarged handle grip portion 2 of the shaft tance adjacent to the shoulder. 3, such taper converging toward the shoulder. This tapering of the handle grip portion of the shaft terminating in the abrupt shoulder 3 forms about the shaft coincident with the lower portion of the handle grip, a peripheral is acutely or easily tapered for some disv Around the enlarged portion 2 of the shaft is first wound a foundation cover of padding cloth or listing l. This winding or listing of padding material is preferably not eX- tended entirely to the shoulder 3 but is terminated upon the tapered portion 5 of the shaft in spaced relation with the shoulder 3. The extremity of this wrapping or winding of listing or padding material is reduced to a substantially feather edge, by skiving or other suitable means, so that the surface of such wrapping 4 will merge easily and uniformly into the taper 5 of the handle shaft, without forming an appreciable shoulder or offset. A convenient economical. and effective wayof reducing the thickness of the padding int-o uniformity with the taper of the shaft has been found by applying the padded shaft to a sanding wheel, by which the extremity of the padded or wrapped portion 4L and the taper of the shaft are sanded or reduced into uniformity by abrasive means. It will be understood that the padding or wrapping is secured by cement. Over the foundation wrapping or padding 4 there is then wound an exterior cover or sheath of calf skin or other suitable material formed in a strip 6, which is secured at the extremity of the shaft and wound helically thereabout over the enlarged portion of the handle shaft, and the tapered portion 5', terminating at the shoulder 8. The wrapping 5 completely fills the taper peripheral groove formed by the taper 5 and shoulder 8 and the outside surface of the completed wrapping agrees with the periphery of the shoulder 3 and so the covered or sheathed portion of the handle shaft merges smoothly and uniformly into the surface of the uncovered portion. The cover strip 6 is also cemented as it is applied and the extremity adjacent to the shoulder 3 may be secured by bradding or other suitable means and is preferably tightly wrapped with light twine or thread wopping 7, which being drawn tightly, sinks into the surface of the leather cover sufficiently to afford no appreciable irregularity or obstruction to the players fingers in grasping the shaft. A golf club shaft or the like so provided with a wrapped handle grip not only presents a uniform pleasing appearance, but it enables the shaft to be conveniently and comfortably grasped at any point. Many players are inclined to grasp the handle shaft low, in which case the usual offset or enlargement formed by the termination of the wrapping interferes with an effective firm grasp. While the present invention involves a comparatively simple improvement, it has been found that it is quite efficient in improving the stroke and play of the golfer who is inclined to grasp the handle shaft low. Furthermoreby eliminating the enlargement or shoulder offset resulting from the usual method of wrapping the handle grip, the tendency of such enlargement or shoulder to catch and interfere with the removal of the clubs from a caddy bag, 7

and the consequent wear upon the 'wopping and handlegrip cover at such points, is entirely eliminated, thereby increasing the durability of the handle grip cover.

From the above description it will be ap involved or sacrificing any of its advantages. l/Vhlle in order to comply with the statute the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features,

it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to the specific details shown, but that the means and construction herein. disclosed comprise the preferred form of several modes of putting the invention into effect and the invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the appended claims. 7

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A handle shaft for a golf club or the like,

a peripheral shoulder formed in the shaft in 1 spaced relation with the end of the shaft by indenting the shaft, the handle portion of the shaft intermediate the shoulder and theend of the shaft being convergent toward the shoulder, and a cover strip wrapped helically about the handle portion of the shaft including such convergent portion and terminating at said shoulder in substantially flush relation with the exterior of the shaft. 7

2. A handle shaft for a golf club or the like, having a peripheral indentation therein affording a shoulder formed in the shaft in spaced relation with the end of the shaft, the handle portion of the shaft intermediate the shoulder and the end of the shaft being con vergent toward the shoulder, a covering of padding material about the handle portion of the shaft, said padding material being re'- duced in thickness to substantially feather edge, as it approaches said shoulder whereby the surface of the padding merges smoothly and uniformly into the surface of the tapered portion of the handle portion and a cover strip wrapped helically over said padding and terminating at said shoulder with its exterior surface substantially flush with that of the shaft.

3. A handle shaft for a golf club or the like, having formed therein, a peripheral groove one side of which is comparatively abrupt while the other side of the groove is gradually tapered throughout an extended portion of said shaft and a sheath surrounding the handle shaft and contracted upon the tapered portion thereof, said sheath terminating at the abrupt side of said groove substantially flush with the surface of the shaft.

- Q. A. handle shaft for a golf club or the like, a peripheral shoulder formed in the shaft in spaced relation-with the end of the shaft by indenting such shaft, the handle portion of the shaft intermediate the shoulder and the end of the shaft being convergent toward the shoulder, and a sheath inclosing the handle portion including said convergent portion and terminating at said shoulder in substanshoulder.

5. The combination with a handle shaft for a golf club, or the like having therein a peripheral indentation, of a sheath overlapping and extending beyond the peripheral indentation, the material of which is of substantially uniform thickness enclosing a portion of the handle shaft of maximum diametiallv flush relation with the periphery of the.

ter with the terminal portion of the sheath seated inesaid peripheral indentation, the surface of such enclosing sheath and the surface of the shaft beyond the indented portion merging'uniformly one into the other.

"6. The combination with a handle shaft for golf club, or the like having therein a tapered peripheral indentation, of a handle grip therefor comprising a strap of material of substantially uniform thickness wrapped about a portion of the shaft beyond said indentation, the'terminal turn of the strap be- 7 ing seated in said indentation to a depth approximately equal to its thickness, whereby the peripheral surface of the Wrapping and the unwrapped portion of the shaft are of substantially equal diameter at their meeting In testimony'whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 16 day of November A. D. 1925.

GEORGE W. MATT ERN. 

